


First Dance

by emeraldsword



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-15
Updated: 2010-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-14 07:49:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1258576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeraldsword/pseuds/emeraldsword
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Morgana could remember very clearly the first time she realised what it meant to look like a woman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Dance

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 14 Valentines over on LJ. 
> 
> Betaed by Lycoris

 

Morgana could remember very clearly the first time she realised what it meant to look like a woman. She'd been 14 years old, not quite old enough to bleed but her chest had already come. Until she had become Uther's ward she had dressed as a child, but it so happened that Uther was to receive an envoy from Wessex the summer after her 14th birthday and he declared that her presence was required at the welcoming ball, and that she was to have her first proper gown.

 

She had been so excited about that gown. She had enjoyed all of the fittings, asked lots of questions of the seamstresses and become very involved in all the discussions about style and accessories. Morgana had talked about that gown with everyone who would listen (and some, like Arthur, who wouldn't). The young lady in the mirror smiled at her even as she was asked to lean forward from the waist to check the fit of the bodice.

 

The days leading up to the envoy's arrival passed in a flurry of excitement, and Morgana was so excited that she couldn't sleep the night before the envoy was supposed to arrive, and was tired and grumpy until the scouts reported that the envoy was within an hour's ride. After the official greeting, she and Gwen, her new maidservant, spent the rest of the afternoon dressing her for the event.

 

Morgana had never seen herself looking so grown up! The deep wine colour of the dress accentuated her pale skin, and even her usually-somewhat-untidy hair was behaving itself, thanks to Gwen.

 

"I look like my mother," she said, aloud, and Gwen smiled.

 

"I'm sure she would be proud," she said. "Now, go! The prince will be waiting."

 

*

 

Arthur was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. He looked her over without recognition, and Morgana frowned.

 

"Arthur?" He blinked and dragged his eyes to her face.

 

"It's me, silly!" she said, and he went brilliant red.

 

"Morgana!" he stuttered.

 

"Who else?" she asked teasingly, but she could feel her own cheeks blushing under the powder Gwen had so carefully applied. Arthur took her arm like he was supposed to, but she could see that he was making a huge effort not to look at her chest and it made her feel awkward. They walked in silence to the hall.

 

The dancing itself was quite fun though. Uther took the first dance, a slightly pink Arthur the second and after that Morgana found quite a few men keen to dance with her. And yes, maybe they were only dancing with her because she was the king's ward but it made her feel special, even if she could feel the weight of the eyes on her all over her skin.

 

At dinner she was seated next to the Lady Elaine. She and Morgana had met before, of course, and Morgana hadn't been overly impressed. This evening, though, Morgana greeted her with real affection and they spent much of the meal discussing gowns, which allowed Morgana to pretend not to notice that Arthur spent much of the meal looking at her breasts.

 

"I think you have an admirer there," observed Elaine. Morgana flicked her head.

 

"I do not," she said, but a nervous giggle slipped out at the end and she knew from the sharper expression on Elaine's face that she had made a mistake somehow.

 

Deciding that the best defence was a good offence, Morgana summoned her best smirk.

 

"I saw you dancing with Sir _____ more often than politeness requires. Anything you want to tell us?"

 

She'd struck gold. Elaine looked coy, and hinted at rather more than Morgana secretly believed she had grounds for. Morgana managed to keep the conversation on safer ground for the rest of the meal.

 

*

 

Morgana made sure that she always described her first ball in wholly positive terms. She also made sure to spend more time carefully observing the way the other nobles behaved when they were together in small groups.

 

By her second ball, she was ready for the weight of their eyes.


End file.
